i do remember nicko saying in an interview that he insists on keeping a single bassdrum pedal instead of going out and getting a double pedal for "where eagles dare"

Now...I was listening to "The Wicker Man" and I'm no drummer so i can't really judge, but is he doing that with one foot??

PainKiller8191

04-29-2005, 03:50 AM

^^also is clive using double bass on the breakdown of "women in uniform"

Dannyboy15

04-29-2005, 03:51 AM

Yes, its single bass on the wicker man.

I read somewhere that he used a double bass pedal on the DoD album.

SilenceNOmorE

04-29-2005, 03:51 AM

Nicko McBrain is pretty anti-double pedal and proud of it, so I'm guessing that he's using one foot. If you think that's good, listen to "Ghost of the Navigator" :eek: :naughty:

PainKiller8191

04-29-2005, 03:53 AM

^I don't like that album...haven't heard alot of it

about the single bass pedal...thats pretty ****ing awesome...i used to play drums i wouldnt get anywhere near that with one foot...i guess thats why i didnt play for maiden eh? :chug:

PainKiller8191

04-29-2005, 03:56 AM

what part of the navigator...? the single foot doubles in the chorus?

Kosmos Tree

04-29-2005, 04:22 AM

The only song McBrain has ever used a double bass pedal is "face in the sand"
All the other Iron Maiden songs are single pedal stuff

mprules

04-29-2005, 04:23 AM

every song he has ever done is single pedal except face in the sand, i assume he wanted to make an impression as face in the saned is the only song he has ever wrote

and its a good song too if i may say so myself

Kosmos Tree

04-29-2005, 04:33 AM

he said in an interview that he couldn't play the whole song with the single pedal without his leg falling off and he didn't wanted to cheat; that's why he played it with a double bass pedal.
I also read in the interview that he kind of "cheated" on some fills, does anybody know more about that?

PainKiller8191

04-29-2005, 04:37 AM

^^that comment made no sense...if he didnt wanna cheat why would he play with a double pedal??

Double Bass Jim

04-29-2005, 04:53 AM

Im pretty sure that he's always been a 100% single bass man.

Kosmos Tree

04-29-2005, 04:56 AM

Well, playing with a double pedal is no cheating, is it? ;)
The producer suggested to play the track with the single pedal and cheat a little bit to record it; e.g. using loops and/or triggers.
Nicko meant that he doesn't want to cheat, either he can play it or not.
And in order to play it, he used a double pedal, i don't consider this cheating :)

PainKiller8191

04-29-2005, 05:09 AM

ohhhhhhhhhh

coz in the interview i heard he said using a double bass pedal wasn't drummerlike and he considered it cheating...he was talking about "where eagles dare" its in the early years dvd

jversluis88

04-29-2005, 08:01 AM

Yes he's quite against using a double bass pedal, and it shows when you hear his skill with the single pedal. Even listen to Powerslave (the song), his footwork is so clean.

Killjoy

04-29-2005, 09:07 AM

Yes, its single bass on the wicker man.

I read somewhere that he used a double bass pedal on the DoD album.

whoa

GurS

04-29-2005, 12:23 PM

the only song he's EVER used double bass drum on is "face in the sand", which is pretty fast bass drumming for about four minutes solid. It's not that he can't play that speed, it;'s just he can't play that speed for that length of time. However, he didn't like, and has vowed he'll never use one again.

BTW, wicker man is hard as it's pretty **** fast, and it's powerful too, my drum teacher can do that speed for that length, but no-where near as powerful as Nicko.

Other great songs for nicko's amazing right foot:

Where Eagles Dare (his finest druming moment)
Out Of The Silent Planet (chorus > me :upset)
Fills in The Mercenary
The Evil That Men Do
No More Lies, to some extent.

oliv_da_skinmasher

04-29-2005, 12:31 PM

no every bit of maiden is single pedal except face in the sand

Chiefgeezer

04-29-2005, 12:44 PM

i could be wrong but doesn't he use a double pedal in rock in rio? I'm sure he uses one in that, theres one bit i think it could be in dream of mirrors it looks like hes using one

GurS

04-29-2005, 12:59 PM

nope, single. But he tends to open and close his hi-hats with his foot when playing on the ride or floor tom, or when filling.

Five Magics

04-29-2005, 05:25 PM

I dont know too much Maiden but I could have sworn that I seen a concert or video on TV where he had two bass drums. Didn't his setup have 2 bass drums?

mprules

04-29-2005, 05:55 PM

no, 1 bass drum, and he only uses a single pedal in rock in rio, hes very anti - double pedal

Chameleon

04-29-2005, 06:08 PM

Hehehehehehe, for a while I was reallllllly into Maiden. Now I just thing they have some cracking songs and are a great live act, but i'm not as obssessed...but i'm still on the Maiden board and this topic comes up all the time, and we end up saying the same thing over and over.

But just to re-iterate what's been said (the true parts): Nicko never once used a double pedal until '04 when they recorded "Face in the Sand" on Dance of Death. And as many people have said in this thread, that was purely for stamina.

A common misconception with McBrain is that he does groups of three (or as people often incorrectly call them, "triplets") in songs like Sign of the Cross (see Rock in Rio) and Ghost of the Navigator. As somebody above said, it's just doubles with his foot.

The other thing you notice about him is that his sound is awfully consistant (especially on Rock in Rio), so if you know anything about sound technology you can probably tell that there is some heavy noise gate/compressor work here, whcih evens out the strokes. If you don't believe me, download this video from a video camera backstage during the Wickerman:

http://www.ironmaiden.com/media/images/low/IID00000911.wmv

You can hear a noticeable dip in volume at the chorus when he does the 8th/16th notes (depending on whether you argue that the tempo marking changes for the chorus or remains constant). I quite like Nicko, he has a pretty unique style even if his chops aren't out of this world, and his foot skill is pretty above average.

Chiefgeezer

04-30-2005, 05:59 AM

nope, single. But he tends to open and close his hi-hats with his foot when playing on the ride or floor tom, or when filling.

he may have used somein the verse to ghost of the navigator, in wicker man, it can easily be played with one pedal but on Dance of Death there are multiply number of songs with double bass, so he isnt so anti dub bass now, but who cares he is still rockin

Chameleon

04-30-2005, 04:43 PM

he may have used somein the verse to ghost of the navigator, in wicker man, it can easily be played with one pedal but on Dance of Death there are multiply number of songs with double bass, so he isnt so anti dub bass now, but who cares he is still rockin

It annoys me when people talk out of their arse. Don't.

Double Bass Jim

04-30-2005, 05:55 PM

Better get used to it haha.

l3n

04-30-2005, 11:49 PM

Haha, yes Nicko has always been a single-pedal man for as long as I could remember, not too sure about the minorities where he actually may have used them though. You can get a driver's view video of him playing Wicker Man at ironmaiden.com

Chameleon

05-01-2005, 05:40 AM

Better get used to it haha.

I guess I better :lol:

the_uber_penguin

05-10-2005, 08:41 AM

every song he has ever done is single pedal except face in the sand, i assume he wanted to make an impression as face in the saned is the only song he has ever wrote

and its a good song too if i may say so myself

He actually took a writing credit for New Frontier. He said it was really hard using a double bass pedal on Face In The Sand, but described it like trying to drum left handed after playing right handed for 20 years.

Drummer-Ross-C

05-10-2005, 02:45 PM

From What Ive Heard Hes Wicked On Just One Pedal And also i Love his drum set up

Trev

05-10-2005, 02:50 PM

From What Ive Heard Hes Wicked On Just One Pedal And also i Love his drum set up
123.. I just rewatched Rock in Rio, and his single bass skill is just mad. And I love his kit, it sounded amazing on RiR, but when (if) I see Maiden live, I'd never be able to see him.. He's completely hidden by his kit.

Rudiculous

05-10-2005, 03:04 PM

hm, I dont want to brag or anything, but I can play Face in the Sand on single pedal. sure, it isnt as tight as Nicko playing single pedal on Wicker Man or Ghost of the Navigator, but my single bassing just isnt as good as his. I would think Nicko was able to play that on single pedal? hm, well anyway, he still is one of my favourite drummers, and my biggest influence in drumming.

the only song on which the speed really dazzles me is Dream of Mirrors. in the middle, faster part, he plays 16th doubles on the single pedal, and he takes it up to an insane (!) speed. that is about the only song on which the single bassing REALLY is too fast for me to be able to play it tight.

<The other thing you notice about him is that his sound is awfully consistant (especially on Rock in Rio), so if you know anything about sound technology you can probably tell that there is some heavy noise gate/compressor work here, whcih evens out the strokes.>
I noticed something like that before. I noticed that Nicko isnt able to play soft notes on his bass drum, his bass drum stays on the same volume during the entire Rock in Rio dvd.

Zero99

04-12-2006, 10:38 PM

here it is i knew i saw it someware and had to put this up to end this

Strangely, unlike most heavy metal drummers, McBrain has refused to use a double bass drum, since he considers it to be "too complicated", and "un-drummerish". Instead, he has developed an incredibly fast technique on the single bass drum, following Steve Harris' gallops with no problem whatsoever. The first (and last) song Nicko McBrain recorded using a double bass drum was "Face in the Sand," on the Dance of Death album, 2003.As Nicko could not grasp the technique of the double bass pedal the track ended up being pro tooled. One of his feet was going faster than the other. He subsequently announced publicly that it had been one of the hardest things he had ever had to play and that, for that reason, the number would not be included in the track list of the Dance of Death World Tour. On this album Nicko McBrain also contributed, for the first time in Iron Maiden history, to the songwriting, writing the bass line for the song "New Frontier."

here is the web site this i from here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicko_McBrain

i beleve thats a very reliable page i use it for home work all the time

maniac0796

04-13-2006, 03:48 AM

Last time i heard, he used an elongated pedal, where there is a plate at the heel section you can press down to make a second beater move. But after reading what this forum says, it seems thats probably not true.

oliv_da_skinmasher

04-13-2006, 04:39 AM

Nope he just uses a tightened DW 5000(tight as he can get it). To Zero99, rubbish if you'd seen him in clinic he played the double bass part from face in the sand perfectly. He just prefers to use one bass drum, like he prefers never to record or play with a metronome.

We_Love_Lime

04-13-2006, 07:44 AM

The part I don't like is where he doesn't use the DP for not using the DP. as if he has some award to win.

If it makes the song better, it makes the song better. And that's a **** excuse IMO to excuse a song from a tour ( Well I was using a double pedal so uhh ).

alexmonty12

04-13-2006, 07:54 AM

I almost fell off my chair when they got to the "Your time will come" bit in Wicker Man and I heard the footwork in that :eek:

oliv_da_skinmasher

04-13-2006, 08:15 AM

Its great to learn that sorta footwork coz then you can use open and close hats as well(if you want)

rik

04-13-2006, 08:21 AM

"Dream of Mirrors" hasn't been mentioned yet. I think it's a fantastic demonstration of how good his right foot is.

alexmonty12

04-13-2006, 08:24 AM

"Dream of Mirrors" hasn't been mentioned yet. I think it's a fantastic demonstration of how good his right foot is.That's true, but most people listen to the soft beginning and don't see it to the full 9 minutes.

It is a great song nothing beats Where Eagles Dare that is a great song

LiquidTensionTheatre

04-13-2006, 09:13 AM

Don't know if any or all of this has been said yet. I attended a Nicko clinic on the Premier Roadshow last year and these are the facts about his bassery:

1. He uses single kick because he finds it easier: he only sees using 2 bass pedals as complicating things.
2. He used a double bass pedal on "Face in the Sand" off the Dance of Death album. He admits it's the only drum part he ever "cheated" on - the slave pedal had to be made a lot louder in the mixing process because there was such a dynamic inbalance in his double bass playing.

For Nicko's best footwork IMO, check out Dream of Mirrors and The Wickerman.

~~

Arpanet

05-11-2006, 06:00 PM

"Dream of Mirrors" hasn't been mentioned yet. I think it's a fantastic demonstration of how good his right foot is.

I'm listening to it right now. The part sounds ****ing awesome, but it's not really that complicated. It's just

The chorus in Out of the Silent Planet is pretty much the same beat. It's clever - putting the bass on "+ a" gives it the gallop feel only using doubles. Obviously damn hard to keep up at that pace for as long as he does, but in the end it's not really that tricky.

DJMastahFreddie

05-12-2006, 12:00 AM

What album is "Where Eagles Dare" on?

Arpanet

05-12-2006, 06:30 AM

Piece of Mind.

TormentorScott

05-12-2006, 09:24 AM

Wow! No one mentioned "Caught Somewhere in Time"!?!?!?!?

Fast single pedal gallops ftw!

not fishbulb

05-12-2006, 07:21 PM

I've onlyread the first couple posts, but is the evil that men do with a single pedal?

Don't know if any or all of this has been said yet. I attended a Nicko clinic on the Premier Roadshow last year and these are the facts about his bassery:

1. He uses single kick because he finds it easier: he only sees using 2 bass pedals as complicating things.
2. He used a double bass pedal on "Face in the Sand" off the Dance of Death album. He admits it's the only drum part he ever "cheated" on - the slave pedal had to be made a lot louder in the mixing process because there was such a dynamic inbalance in his double bass playing.

For Nicko's best footwork IMO, check out Dream of Mirrors and The Wickerman.

A double pedal is not cheating. I only really wanted a double pedal, because of my theory that: if I can play every drum with two hands, then why the hell should I not have the option of playing my bass drum with two feet.

I still suck at double bass.

HeLLmO

06-19-2006, 04:57 PM

I almost fell off my chair when they got to the "Your time will come" bit in Wicker Man and I heard the footwork in that :eek:

well i did fall off my chair when i heard it. almost hit my head and cracked it open on my fire place(again), and spilled Coke all over the carpet. my parents didn't appreciate that much.

i've recently been thrown into an Iron Maiden obsession and it ain't goin' away anytime soon. i just started learnin' some tunes the other day, jesus i love Nicko. i gotta say though, double pedal or not, i love the new album, i think Paschendale might be one of my all time favorite songs. ever.

this may seem like a stupid question but does any one know what foot technique Nicko uses?

RoaRing_Roach

06-19-2006, 05:10 PM

Dream Of Mirrors

FockerTheLopper

06-19-2006, 07:30 PM

^I don't like that album...haven't heard alot of it

about the single bass pedal...thats pretty ****ing awesome...i used to play drums i wouldnt get anywhere near that with one foot...i guess thats why i didnt play for maiden eh? :chug:
Its on the same cd as wicker man, I think I still have it(or let a friend borrow it) I think its Brave New World, I remember it was blue and pretty new. Yeah thats it. Great CD, different but great

The two notable bass parts in the Wickerman are the Chorus (constant 16ths at a good tempo) and some intricacies in the verse, where he uses pretty much lightning-speed doubles before snare hits.

As he would describe it... *dagaDA!*

What a guy. Can't wait till December... Seeing them again =)

And Dragonforce the week before :cool:

~~

maniac0796

06-20-2006, 01:34 PM

I guess you're seeing them in cardiff?

Ethan.

06-20-2006, 03:51 PM

Nicko is the man. I thought he was good, and I just now learned that he doesn't use the double bass pedal much. That's really interesting.

TOBIASLUVSDRUMS

07-14-2006, 09:29 AM

Guys Ur Fools!
U fink he can't use a single pedal....u say its impossible, listen to tracks like good times bad times by led zepplin, now that is insane. John bonham is the king of single pedals!
I jstu went and played the wicked man for the first time and i could do it no probs!

X

LiquidTensionTheatre

07-14-2006, 10:41 AM

Guys Ur Fools!
U fink he can't use a single pedal....u say its impossible, listen to tracks like good times bad times by led zepplin, now that is insane. John bonham is the king of single pedals!
I jstu went and played the wicked man for the first time and i could do it no probs!

X

...wicked man? LoL'd.

But can you play it with as much power as Nicko, with consistent bass strokes? and at the speed he plays it live? Flawlessly?

And who said he can't use a single pedal :confused:

And yeah maniac0796 I'm seeing them in Cardiff. Really can't wait.

~~

jiashen

07-14-2006, 10:57 AM

Guys Ur Fools!
U fink he can't use a single pedal....u say its impossible, listen to tracks like good times bad times by led zepplin, now that is insane. John bonham is the king of single pedals!
I jstu went and played the wicked man for the first time and i could do it no probs!

X

haha I absolutely love how he starts his first post with 'Guys Ur Fools!'

The two notable bass parts in the Wickerman are the Chorus (constant 16ths at a good tempo) and some intricacies in the verse, where he uses pretty much lightning-speed doubles before snare hits.

As he would describe it... *dagaDA!*

What a guy. Can't wait till December... Seeing them again =)

And Dragonforce the week before :cool:

~~
Isn't the Wicker man chorus 8th notes in halftime? I just got Edward the Great, my first Iron Maiden CD. Ahh it rocks my socks. Eh has anyone watched the Rock in Rio Run to the Hills video? The crowd energy is seriously insane, you could almost grab it from the air and like play with it.

Zildjian

07-14-2006, 09:23 PM

way to bump a month old thread with no meaning

Chameleon

08-15-2006, 11:25 AM

...wicked man? LoL'd.

But can you play it with as much power as Nicko, with consistent bass strokes? and at the speed he plays it live? Flawlessly?

And who said he can't use a single pedal :confused:

And yeah maniac0796 I'm seeing them in Cardiff. Really can't wait.

~~

Actually...Nicko can't do it flawlessly, he normally slows down slightly and there's always a BIG power drop. He uses a noise gate or something similar live though, which explains why it sounds so good on recordings.

If you go on ironmaiden.com though, watch the Nicko cam vid, you'll hear the power drop.

Jezen

08-15-2006, 11:39 AM

Was that comment so important that you had to bump the thread? Come on..

EDIT SO I DONT POST AGAIN: Point taken.

Chameleon

08-15-2006, 12:38 PM

Was that comment so important that you had to bump the thread? Come on..

Bumping threads isn't a great concern of mine...

The way I figure it, if it annoys people, they can just let the thread slide away... if people post, I can only assume they have something else to add to the thread.

So my question to you is: Was THAT comment so important that you had to keep the thread going? :chug:

Bonham#1!

08-15-2006, 01:02 PM

I can play the wicker man with my single pedal so I'm sure Nicko can do it.

Corkofski

08-15-2006, 01:11 PM

way to bump a Year old thread with no meaning

fixd.

i count 3 month or over bumps on this thread...

elbata

05-15-2007, 11:13 AM

Guys Ur Fools!
U fink he can't use a single pedal....u say its impossible, listen to tracks like good times bad times by led zepplin, now that is insane. John bonham is the king of single pedals!
I jstu went and played the wicked man for the first time and i could do it no probs!

X

well, excuse my bad english...im from argentina...i can speak spanish if you wish...or german...
i only want to say that i really like iron maiden and i think its a great drummer nicko. Of curse, he isnt so good as other drummers e.g. steve smith or dave weckl( jazz) but he's realy good. I am a drummer too...and i really cant believe that you played the wicker man without warm up...even if you do it you cant have played it at the same speed and time...
if you can then congratulations!

Drum Phil

05-15-2007, 11:17 AM

Why the hell was this bumped?

elbata

05-15-2007, 11:35 AM

Hehehehehehe, for a while I was reallllllly into Maiden. Now I just thing they have some cracking songs and are a great live act, but i'm not as obssessed...but i'm still on the Maiden board and this topic comes up all the time, and we end up saying the same thing over and over.

But just to re-iterate what's been said (the true parts): Nicko never once used a double pedal until '04 when they recorded "Face in the Sand" on Dance of Death. And as many people have said in this thread, that was purely for stamina.

A common misconception with McBrain is that he does groups of three (or as people often incorrectly call them, "triplets") in songs like Sign of the Cross (see Rock in Rio) and Ghost of the Navigator. As somebody above said, it's just doubles with his foot.

The other thing you notice about him is that his sound is awfully consistant (especially on Rock in Rio), so if you know anything about sound technology you can probably tell that there is some heavy noise gate/compressor work here, whcih evens out the strokes. If you don't believe me, download this video from a video camera backstage during the Wickerman:

http://www.ironmaiden.com/media/images/low/IID00000911.wmv

You can hear a noticeable dip in volume at the chorus when he does the 8th/16th notes (depending on whether you argue that the tempo marking changes for the chorus or remains constant). I quite like Nicko, he has a pretty unique style even if his chops aren't out of this world, and his foot skill is pretty above average.

missconception?
i like that word...but why do you meen that it is incorrect to call them triplets?
their are three bass storkes in one time...with a unisound(?) with the snare...ryde or hit hat establish the time......what is wrong?

elbata

05-15-2007, 12:01 PM

I'm listening to it right now. The part sounds ****ing awesome, but it's not really that complicated. It's just

The chorus in Out of the Silent Planet is pretty much the same beat. It's clever - putting the bass on "+ a" gives it the gallop feel only using doubles. Obviously damn hard to keep up at that pace for as long as he does, but in the end it's not really that tricky.

you know about drums, i can see it, but are you so sure about your afirmation?

DrummerJonny

05-15-2007, 12:48 PM

fixd.

i count 3 month or over bumps on this thread...

make that 4...

srsly...

WTF?

M@xwell

05-15-2007, 02:00 PM

who cares?

elbata

05-15-2007, 02:22 PM

make that 4...

srsly...

WTF?

what is bump?????????

Drum Phil

05-15-2007, 02:23 PM

When you post in a topic no ones touched in months.

You've bumped a topic from 2 years ago.

DrummerJonny

05-15-2007, 02:25 PM

what i dont get is:

if someone bumps, we flame.

if they dont search before new thread, we flame.

how do you not get flamed?

jttdrummer14

05-15-2007, 02:25 PM

its when you post in a really old thread that was on page 1000, and it comes back to the first page.

edit: phil beat me:(

you don't get flamed by not posting.

elbata

05-15-2007, 03:32 PM

When you post in a topic no ones touched in months.

You've bumped a topic from 2 years ago.

i realize that but i dont thought that it would be any problem...well consider i read this my first time today... do you still talk about the "orginal" topic?

Basically you have apparently made people very mad by contributing to a thread that nobody has posted in for a long time. Why I have no idea. I have to agree with Johnny on this one. What's the point in him making a new thread to comment about the topic of this thread that's already here?

elbata

05-15-2007, 05:32 PM

Basically you have apparently made people very mad by contributing to a thread that nobody has posted in for a long time. Why I have no idea. I have to agree with Johnny on this one. What's the point in him making a new thread to comment about the topic of this thread that's already here?

well...i still dont understand what the problem is...i have contributed something to the topic "nicko mcbrian + double pedal" and people gets angry with me??:confused:. First of all its posible that my limited knowledge in inglish is one of the main problems...second...its the first time i posted here...well....sorry if i caused any problem...my intention was only to continuing speaking about the topic...

MeaninglessPhoto

05-15-2007, 08:11 PM

If you search and dont bump threads over 2 weeks old, then you wont get flamed.